We recently visited the Californian Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) plantation at Warburton East VIC.
It was planted many years ago by a private individual, hidden away from the general public, but is now controlled by Parks Victoria as part of the Yarra Ranges National Park.
The trees are majestic & its an awe inspiring experience walking through the plantation.
Naturally the trees aren't as large as the ones in the US, but they are still huge.
It has become a popular tourist attraction in recent years.
With a cathedral like atmosphere it has become popular as a wedding venue.
It is a shame we have not had forests similar to this planted in suitable areas throughout Australia.
Pine forests really leave a lot to be desired and the way they were planted encouraging first and second thinning might have created a supply of small mill size products that were mostly second grade Timbers but provide little quality in the industry.
We lack a resource of timber in this country and imported Timbers have always been a premium.
To provide a sustainable resource I think that we have missed the opportunity in Australia.
It seems that we are happy with second grade pine and use the rest for wood chip products, but why not, after all we have to grab every cent we can get.
It would be nice for future generations to enjoy the existence of forests like the pic and for craftsmen and tradesmen to have quality products available at a sustainable level.
It may not be too late if we can remove the greed from the timber industry.
Disclaimer;
I wish to point out that I hold no qualifications in the timber industry apart from have spent quite some time loading and carting timber, wood chip and pine bark from the SE of SA and SW of VIC. and including hardwood from Merbein VIC so as a result my comments are purely based on my observations and from what info I did get from workers and managers within that industry at that time.
